The Phoenix Paradox

I used to think values were a soft thing.

At school, I always had an ethics class or something similar. It was usually just a generic session with some cases of how a big company did something wrong and now their execs are in prison or dead. I never thought I'd personally need to think about my values and the impact that being mindful of them had on my life.

One day a few years ago, I was involved in a business that was in financial trouble. It seemed like a snowball that only got bigger every day, and there was no real way of stopping it. One day, we were approached by a couple of "financial consultants". They knew about our situation and had a strategy to solve our problems.

They called it: "The Phoenix".

Associated with the sun, a phoenix obtains new life by rising from the ashes of its predecessor.

For a sum of money which was equal to selling my car, they could make it all go away. They had contacts in different governmental entities with whom they could negotiate and, with a few calls (and surely some questionable payments), they would essentially reset the company and clear it of all its dues.

They gave us a couple of days to think it over, and we'd meet again on a Friday.

For the next couple of days, my mind raced. On the one hand, it was obvious this was a shady operation. On the other hand, it gave the company another chance to make it a viable business, giving its employees a viable living and its shareholders a return on their investment.

Then, I read a statement that gave me so much clarity:

"When confronted with an ethical dilemma, take the decision which would make you feel proud to be telling your grandchildren in 50 years' time."

Removing the short-term urgency made the circumstance much less important than it seemed. There were many ways out, and doing something unethical was not anymore the best one.

We decided to pass on the offer and had to go through some of the toughest months I can remember (that story is for another time).

It was the first time I understood how important knowing one's set of core values was.

Values are often seen as a burden, but they can also be empowering. You can use them as leverage for decisions that impact your long-term.  Values allow us to navigate our lives and pursue paths that bring honor and pride instead of short-term gains and potential corruption.

Values are just as important in business as they are in life.  By taking into account the values of your company and its long-term vision, you can make decisions that will benefit the business for years to come. This kind of decision-making not only increases the chances of success but also provides a sense of security and well-being to your employees, customers, and investors. When you make decisions based on values, you are showing that you care about the long-term outcome of your company and its stakeholders.

Reflecting on that experience, I am confident that identifying, and coming up with a clear set of values is important in order to take decisions that on the day-to-day seem trivial, but that in time accrue to have a big impact on the direction of your life takes.